CIO CFO Alignment

CIO CFO alignment can be built on a partnership of business value, metrics, and governance. ...

... "So engage the CFO on a shared set of requirements and implementation actions. Then follow up with outcomes that can be tracked to common measures ... " ...

Via Baseline: CIO-CFO Partnership

Stabilization Phase of Projects

Often, there is a short support period after a project phase is completed and the team moves on to the next phase as planned in the schedule. State of Georgia meets with some success by planning for the stabilization phase and slowing down the phases, as necessary, to bring the organization and process to a stable state prior to next-phase kickoff. ...

... "Still, Moore said the biggest challenge has been holding vendors back from launching new phases of the project before agency managers were ready." ...

Via Stateline: Making IT work in state government

Project Police

The project police use portfolio visibility to control the funding lever at the VA, if project performance degrades. ...

... "The new evaluation system temporarily stops projects that miss incremental, 6-month milestones to determine whether to spend more money rejuvenating them or permanently end them. " ...

Via Next Gov: VA IT Projects

The Open Innovation Bridge

Personal networking across organizational and enterprise boundaries enables open innovation to flourish.

Agile meets DCMA

An interesting debate at a program meeting last week - the DCMA 14 point analysis was being summarised for a group using Agile methodology. The sponsor for the program is a government agency and software development is being done by one of the well known large contracting companies. Major features of the required system are well described but not so for many of the details. For one of the phases, the contractor proposed using an Agile approach with month long sprint cycles. The government still has to use earned value methods for reporting project progress and demonstrating sound management to the Government Accountability Office.

So we have the Agile project plan which includes time-bound sprint cycles with a backlog list approach to scope of deliverables in each cycle. And on the other side is scoring the project for compliance with the 14 points.

For those who haven't come across them, the DCMA 14 points are a way of assessing the structure of a project, typically adversely scoring items like 'tasks without predecessors or successors' or 'delays between linked tasks'. The first attempt at putting together a project plan to represent sprint cycles strained the DCMA scores on leads and lags and date constraints. It will be interesting to see how the second attempt comes out.

Lean Partner Teams

The integration of enterprises through global sourcing strategies is a common occurrence today. As part of its sustainability strategy, Nike works with its partners in the value chain to drive principles to the team level and develop an empowered extended workforce. ...

... "Lean principles put the decision making closer to the worker through skill building, teamwork and understanding quality over quantity. HRM builds the factory’s managerial capacity and helps them value an empowered workforce. " ...

Via Nike: Sustainability Strategy

Social Media and Project Management: Elizabeth Harrin's Pioneering Research

I was speaking recently with Elizabeth Harrin of the amazing and award-winning blog "A Girl's Guide to Project Management." Elizabeth is a fellow member of PMI's New Media Council, and is working on a book on how social media changes the way we manage projects. This book is very timely, and much needed in the project management space.

Here's what Elizabeth has to say about it...

The aim of my new book, which is provisionally titled Social Media for Project Managers, is to look at how Web 2.0 tools like social media and enterprise collaboration software can make a positive difference for the running of projects. It's a very practical book, with guidelines on how you can implement this kind of technology on your projects.

There has been a lot written about how to use social media for marketing, but not a lot about how organisations can use the same principles to improve collaboration and team work within their company walls. This book aims to fill the gap.

Just scanning through the survey results has given me an interesting glimpse into how people are using social media and what for, in relation to a project environment. The survey closes at the end of the month, and I'll be sharing the results after that.

For those who want to take the survey, here's your last chance! http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/B6JVSY9

IT Budget Constraints and Strategic Shift

Technology and business priorities shift as CIOs focus on IT transformation to strategic business partner. ...

... "CIOs see 2010 as an opportunity to accelerate IT’s transition from a support function to strategic contributor focused on innovation and competitive advantage ... " ...

Via Info Management: IT Strategic Role

Got Research? PMI Wants you to Apply for Grant Funding

Good news for reseachers and writers. Between February 1st and April 25th, 2010, the Project Management Institute is accepting preliminary proposals for research funding for potential 2011 research projects. Awards can be up to $50,000 USD.

Examples of areas they're especially interested in are:

- Ethics and governance
- Project management as a career choice
- Portfolio prioritization
- Standards evaluation and development
- Project Management in the context of the current global economic crisis
- The role of project management in:
--- Government
--- Non-Profit Organizations
--- Non-Government Organizations
--- Healthcare
--- Education

For more information, visit the PMI Sponsored Research Submission Page. Questions can be addressed to the PMI Research Coordinator at research.program@pmi.org.

Groundbreaking Interaction, New Media, and Pioneering Research at Upcoming PMI Conference

The 2010 PMI Research and Education Conference, being held July 11-14 2010 in Washington DC, promises to be eye-opening for project managers interested in new ways to involve people.

For one, PMI is offering new interactive session formats that do away with the old paper proceedings and leverage visual thinking. Also, attendees will use new social media networking techniques to increase their involvement.

And that's not to mention the insights from over 60 sessions revealing the latest research in the field. There's also, for the first time, a session for Registered Education Providers (R.E.P.s) and an open session for those interested in activities of the Global Accreditation Center (GAC) for PM Education Programs.

If you're interested, act now, because the event is limited to 500 people and is first-come, first-serve.

Green IT Pilot Project

HP and Eaton will collaborate on green IT project to drive energy efficiency in server racks through government grant program. ...

... "The joint project from Eaton and HP will develop a fully enclosed IT rack system that provides its own internal power and cooling. High voltage and chilled water will act as the primary inputs to the system and it will also accept alternative energy power sources, such as wind and solar power.

A major benefit of this system is a 38 percent reduction in energy use to support a 100 kilowatt (kW) IT load, which equals a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 400 tons annually. " ...

Via Eaton Corp: Energy Efficiency in IT, Stimulus Grant

Is a life a project?

An elderly and beloved family member scared us over the weekend. We thought we were going to lose her. Fortunately, she is a fighter and now seems to be recovering well.

However, PMThinkers, it occurred to me…is a life a project? By definition, a project is temporary and unique. So is a life. Even if you believe in lives beyond this one, I think you will agree that this life, in this time, born into these circumstances (e.g., parents, birth order, etc.), meets the definition of temporary and unique.

In projects, though, at the outset we determine the purpose, the problem we are attempting to solve and/or the opportunity we need to exploit, as well as the corresponding goals and objectives, constraints, assumptions, etc. In life, some of this is determined for us (e.g., the socio-economic class into which we are born is a constraint, at least at first). Even before we are born, who our parents are lead folks to assume what the baby will look like, be like, and become. Luckily for some of us, some of these assumptions are proven wrong. Again, the same holds true in projects. As assumptions are proven wrong, they can positively or negatively impact the project outcome.

I suppose some people do have predetermined goals, like projects should. Take royalty for instance. A baby is born a prince and so it is expected that he will become king. Many of the rest of us are left to figure out our purpose. Personally, I am still struggling with this one. And many of us, like my family member, look back nearing the end of their lives and reflect on the best of times and how life progressed, without objectives. So it is with projects that have not been run tightly. One looks back at the end and says, “well, we accomplished a lot so we were successful”. However, one did not accomplish what one set out to achieve since one set out to achieve nothing in particular. This is a fine way to live, I suppose. This is not a fine way to run projects.

If a way to frame my life is in project format, I better go do some more thinking. I have done these exercises before, but it is time to revisit them. Since I wasn't born a princess, when I am closer to the end of my life than to the beginning, what times do I want to remember with a toothless smile?

IT Market Insights

The mid-tier enterprise is exhibiting leadership in adoption of new strategies for driving operational efficiency in the technology infrastructure. ...

... "Mid-sized enterprises are more aggressive and pioneering than either small or large enterprises. They are adopting new technology initiatives such as cloud computing, replication, and deduplication at 11-17 percent higher rates than small or large enterprises. " ...

Via Symantec: 2010 State of the Data Center

System Reliability

Project Manager as Enabler of Business Value

The roles and skills of IT professionals are shifting and project managers will be well served if they cultivate a personal brand of enabling business value. ...

... "enabler jobs such as business enterprise architects, business technologists, systems analysts and project managers will be most in demand in the near future. " ...

Via ITBusinessEdge: Skills of Future IT Org

Executive Engagement in Business Technology Projects

Healthcare CEO supports a mission-aligned IT investment with active engagement that ensures implementation and drives adoption. ...

... "Raymer has taken a much more active role than most CEOs might when it comes to an IT project. She developed a detailed chart with scores of lines of responsibilities for employees throughout the organization, including herself. " ...

Via Triad Area Business Journal: IT investment

Best Open Innovators

Nominate companies that innovate across and beyond traditional enterprise boundaries to the Open 100. ...

... "The Open 100 competition was born out of NESTA’s search for the world’s top 100 open innovation companies. Now we are opening it up to the public to find who the best open innovators really are. " ...

Via OpenBusiness: The Open 100

Agile Team Lead Role

Project Visibility

Federal CIO makes progress with government IT strategy, enabling data and project visibility through dashboards. ...

... "And the recently launched federal IT Dashboard--a display of IT project status that corporations would do well to mimic--has not only given the public visibility into the performance of Uncle Sam's big-ticket IT projects, but put agency CIOs on notice that execution matters. " ...

Via InformationWeek: Vivek Kundra

IT Project Planning for 2010

Still refining that growth-focused IT project proposal with the less than tangible business case? According to recent Gartner survey, now may be the time to shift your portfolio weighting to projects with a growth emphasis. ...

... "Business leaders are gasping for growth after a long period holding their breath, and they are expecting to increase the importance of IT in their post-recession approach. " ...

Via Manufacturing Computer Solutions: Business-led IT during 2010

The Agile PMBoK

IT Team Simulation

Univ of Texas team demonstrates their ability to adapt to business scenarios, understand the situation, and frame up recommendations that move the client on positive path forward. These simulations are good for students and IT professionals in the workforce to refine their skills in a "test environment". A little sprinkle of competition usually makes things interesting. Consider a simulation as a bolt-on to your next IT event. Get your team up, moving around, interacting, and learning. ...

... "The team also framed recommendations from the managers’ perspective, a move that anticipated many of the executives’ questions and concerns. " ...

Via University of Texas at Dallas: IT Contests

Should you get the PMP?

I just saw a question posted in one of my LinkedIn groups regarding whether one who is not currently a project manager should obtain the Project Management Professional (PMP) credential.

This is a very good question.

Here is my take on it. First please note that to even sit for the PMP exam one requirement is a significant amount of project management experience. However, I know quite a few people who have the PMP who were able to claim project management experience, when in fact, the experience is fairly suspect. A lead on a portion of a project, does not a project manager make. Note that the Project Management Institute (PMI)’s own “Top 10 Reasons for Earning a PMI Credential” is focused on “project management practitioners”. They are assuming that you have already been functioning as a project manager and are considering now getting PMI-certified. Almost like, you have been a bookkeeper for a long time and are deciding whether or not to go for your CPA.

That said, I would encourage anyone who would like to do so, to study for the PMP in order to LEARN an industry standard viewpoint and the common language used by PMPs or PMO’s who base their methodology on these standards. I do NOT mean attend a class, memorize enough to pass the test, and then forget everything. I mean really learn it. As the person who posted the question pointed out, for anyone who has played a variety of roles on a project, but who hasn’t been the project manager (yet), this type of learning could provide more of a 360-degree understanding of a project. Learning is always valuable. But once again, studying textbook project management and learning what PMI believes is the right answer in multiple-choice scenarios … does not a project manager make.

While I understand that many PMO’s list the PMP as a requirement for new hires, particularly given the economic situation, I have worked for and hired great project managers with no PMP because they have real end-to-end project management experience. And some of us can actually assess the real thing pretty quickly. So if you are not a true "practitioner", please be sure to position yourself appropriately lest you be in violation of the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.

Here is my unfiltered bottom line. Personally, I don't know why one would bother getting the certification if one doesn't want to be a project manager for a living. Once you get it, you don't have it forever. You have to do a lot of work over the next 3 years to keep it (i.e., obtain 60 PDUs). Rather, you could attend a course and study it, but not go through the pain of applying for and sitting for the 4-hour exam. Then, you would still get the benefit of that 360-degree view and be able to wow your management with your knowledge and appreciation for the standards set forth by PMI, which generally do make sense in real life too.

Good luck with your decision!

Disclaimer: Obviously I may be biased because I am PMP-certified myself and have also developed training curriculum and trained project managers to become certified. And oh yes...I hate exams.

Enterprise Architecture Models

Variants of enterprise architecture models are never a perfect fit as we strive to link applications and technology in a useful business context. ...

... "The framework layers the enterprise architecture by three decision-making levels (Enterprise, Domain and System) that are crossed by the four widely accepted architecture dimensions (Business, Information, Systems and Technology). " ...

Via eBizQ: EA Dimensions

Project Management via Web

Collection of online project management tools are reviewed ...

... "web-based project management software that can help you stay organized and on top of your work. " ...

Via Digital Inspiration: Online Project Management Apps

Front End Innovation Needs a Back End

The front end of innovation needs a effective back end system to nurture ideas, manage research projects, and commercialize the best market opportunities. ...

... "Without the back end of innovation - the capacity to effectively screen ideas, align them with strategy, allocate resources to them and manage them successfully ... " ...

Via Blogging Innovation: Ideas

Insights into Agile Software Release Management at Salesforce

Insights into the monthly software development rhythm at Salesforce.com which drives their three releases per year ...

Conquering Complexity: Jerry Manas Interview

Bud Bilanich, aka The Common Sense Guy, interviewed me recently on the topic of Conquering Complexity, through simplicity, clarity, and focus. I've come to realize that all of my work, whether writing about lessons from Napoleon or exploring how to manage the gray areas, centers on this theme.

Hope you enjoy the interview. It runs about 45 minutes or so...

Proof-of-Concept Testing

Internet Initiative Japan adapts its green data center design with US market trend of ambient air cooling and shifts into proof of concept ahead of commercializing new container data center product. ...

... "They will build a modular data center with a cooling system that directly uses outside air, and operate it for one year starting in February 2010, with the aim of commercialization. This will be the first data center in Japan with a container unit cooled all year round by outside air. " ...

Via Internet Initiative Japan: Proof-of-Concept Data Center

Open Innovation Requires Collaborative Culture

The director of the Colworth Science Park in the UK discusses the role that collaboration has in creating an environment of innovation. In this campus, academia, corporations, and experts are integrated and focus on the processes that enable ideas to be commercialized. ...

... "We believe that science is a contact sport, so we must develop the right facilities for researchers to interact on a formal and informal basis to create an environment where collaboration and networking are part of the campus culture. " ...

Via Business Weekly: Sally Ann Forsyth

Project Managers are Motivators

Many times you may need to be the team’s top motivator. Projects are hard. They all have their challenges. So, here is a lesson from history in persistence. Feel free to share with your team members who need it…

"He failed in business in ’31. He was defeated for state legislator in ’32. He started another business in ’33. It failed. His fiancée died in ’35. He had a nervous breakdown in ’36. In ’43 he ran for Congress and was defeated. He tried again in ’48 and was defeated again. He tried running for the Senate in ’55. He lost. The next year he ran for Vice President and lost. In ’58 he ran for the Senate again and was defeated again. Finally, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected 16th president of the United States."

“Those who envision greatness, usually achieve it.”

- Dare to Soar: Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude, Byrd Baggett

SpinOff and Divestitute IT Projects

Not all IT projects are growth, efficiency, or talent enablers. Periodically, IT needs to support divestiture or spin-offs. These types of projects often can involve segmenting / securing the divested business in the existing enterprise systems, so that temporary IT services can be extended for a grace period. At some point, the divested business is fully separated from the systems. These types of IT projects are quite complex business projects that are interesting and offer IT project managers a great learning experience. ...

... "It was much more than an IT project. In practice it meant 1,800 users, 7 languages, 3 factories and interfaces with 100s of suppliers, customers and logistics providers! " ...

Via Personnel Today: Birds Eye Independence